My Story
by Lachriel
Summary: Old fic, completely abandoned. If you want to play with my OC, shoot me an e-mail.
1. A Prologue of Sorts

Disclaimer: Don't own the Animorphs. That's okay because I don't really want to. The only person who is really mine is Jet.

Author's Note: Normally I wouldn't write an Animorphs fanfic. However, my muse is being flighty and pushy and is making me do it. Please review anyway.

Chapter 1

Hi, call me Jet. Some people call me Sam too. Why? I've got a really dumb name. Jetsam. Yup, that's me. I'm an unwanted, abandoned, discarded piece of… uh… whatever. Can you tell this is a bit of a sore spot with me? Some guy found me in a dumpster as a baby and decided to call me that when he turned me over to the proper authorities. It stuck. Oh lucky me. He must have though it was cute or something. I don't. Going through public school with a name like mine has been nothing short of torture. Anyway, I'm off track now.

Unlike the others, I don't have a last name. It doesn't matter much though. They hide behind the anonymity of their nondescript first names to protect family and friends. I have neither. Aside from the entire world the only person I have to look after is myself. That's right. The fate of our entire civilization rests on the shoulders of a group of kids. Exactly seven of us. You see, the aliens have landed.

I'm not a Roswell believer. I'm not talking about the stupid Star trek aliens or even the infinitely cooler Star Wars aliens. First of all, this is for real. Secondly, they're nothing you would expect.

I'll start with the Yeerks. Aside from a few who have formed a resistance of sorts, they're the bad guys. They're gray and are shaped like slugs, but that's where the similarities end. While slugs are peaceful pests that shrivel when salted, Yeerks are evil parasites bent on conquering humanity. They crawl into your ear canal, wrap themselves around your brain, and take control. That's why people who are infested are called controllers. They don't look any different, and because Yeerks can access their host's memories they usually don't act any different. Your grocer could be one. Or your teacher, your parents, your friends, your cat. Okay, so they don't normally infest animals, but the point is there's no way to know.

Your average controller could be human, or a variety of other aliens that aren't any fun to go up against. The Hork Bajor have sharp claws and spikes all over their bodies so they can get tree bark. The Yeerks have turned these peaceful beings into the shock troops of their army. The Taxons are all voluntary controllers just because the Yeerks keep them fed. A Taxons' appetite is a frightening thing. They'll eat anything they can catch and they're _always_ voraciously hungry. Gheds are reserved for low-ranking Yeerks. They're primitive and originated on the Yeerk home world. Oh and there's exactly _one_ Andelite controller, Visser Three. But I'll explain about Andelites in a minute. Fortunately for us, Yeerks have a big weakness. In order to survive they must return to a Yeerk pool every three days to soak up Kandrona rays. If they don't, then after the third day they die.

The Andalites are the good guys. Well, kind of. They're not fighting _against_ us, but they're not helping either. They seem to be in favor of either letting us solve our own problem, or quarantining us until we're all infested and can be destroyed in good conscious. Other than that they're really cool though.

They look rather ethereal, like something out of Greek mythology. An Andalite looks kind of like a blue furred centaur with a deer's body instead of a horse's. Oh, and they have a scorpion-like tail with a viscous blade on the end of it. They have slits for noses, no mouth, and extra pair of eyes on stalks, and fourteen long and delicate-looking fingers rather than our ten. On the whole the effect is very striking, if a bit eerie.

Last that we know of, are the Chee. The word Chee means friend. They're robots made to be companions for a race of dog-like aliens who have been extinct for a _very _long time. These robots are strictly non-violent, but they help out in their own way. Because they hide their doggy forms behind sophisticated holograms they can go just about anywhere. Plus they monitor Yeerk activities for us.

But this story isn't about any of them. Not really, anyway. This story is about how I found out about the invasion and joined the Animorphs. _This_ is my story.

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Author's Note: Review or else my muse will come and infect your muse with whatever it's got. (Or on, I can't tell.) Also please go review "Dust in the Wind" which is a Phantom fanfic by me, and "Heero's Heart" which I'm co-authoring with my brother and sister. It's listed under the author Jiana.


	2. Running

Disclaimer: Yeah. Still applies. Except now I also own Allison, Jacob, and Erin in addition to Jet. So there.

Author's Note: Yup. Here we go. It's a real live chapter where stuff actually happens.

Chapter 2

"So are you going?" I sighed in frustration. Algebra was had enough _without_ being pestered every few minutes. I decided to shut her up for a while.

"All right." Allison smiled at me. "But, lets try to keep a few things in mind. First: If it's lame, I'm leaving."

"But it's a lock-in."

"Don't care. Second: I still don't like you. You're annoying. I'm only going so you'll leave me alone." She pouted and I _seriously_ wanted to slap her. "And third: I am _so_ not joining this dorky 'Sharing' organization, so don't even ask." Allison looked disappointed, but shrugged and left me to my homework. I think they get prizes or something for bringing in new members. I had my own reasons for not joining though. I had lost my best friend, my _only_ friend, to the Sharing. The kids in the orphanage who had joined hung out together. Erin still spoke to me, but it wasn't the same. We didn't go to the mall anymore, or talk about nothing late at night. We had been like sisters before. Now whenever she spoke to me it was to try to convince me to join the club. She had even stopped asking me for help with schoolwork because "the Sharing has a wonderful tutoring program."

I hated, despised them for taking her away. Erin had been the closest thing I'd ever had to family. Now I was _completely_ alone.

"Need help packing?' Or at least I wished I were.

"No Allison. I'll be fine." I gave up the hope that I was going to finish my homework tonight. Oh well, it was Friday anyway. I pushed the rolling swivel chair away from the desk and over to the closet. I pulled out a huge backpack, the kind boy scouts use when they go camping out in the woods.

"You always over pack Sam. It's only one night. Most people actually won't bring anything aside from a blanket that they're not actually planning on using. No one really sleeps at a lock-in. Its lots of fun." She'd been telling me variations of that for hours now and I was getting really fed up with the phrase 'its lots of fun.'

"Do you want me to go or not?" She scowled for a bit, then shrugged and left again. It really wouldn't make a lot of difference to her what I took with me, so I took just about everything. With anyone else that would have been a lot of stuff, but remember that I'm an orphan. We all get spending money, but it's not much. We have to save up for a while before we can get anything really cool. I've mostly gotten clothes and books, a few CDs and a Walkman. I had to save for months to get even a really cheap one, so I figured whatever and saved a few more months. After most of a year I got a really nice one and it's lasted through a lot. I take it just about everywhere. It went into the outside pocket along with my entire CD collection and some extra batteries. In the big pocket I stuffed a variety of clothes (most of them actually) and hygiene products, hairbrush and soap and stuff. You never knew what could happen.

Books were next. _Dracula_,_ Interview with the Vampire_, _The Vampire Lestat_, my Tolkien books, my Yiktor trilogy, and a few other miscellaneous books all went in on top of the clothes. I'd just started _The Vampire Lestat_ and it was getting really good. All my books were bought used and were well worn but well loved. I used my books to escape from my less than perfect life and my favorites were fantasy and mythology stories, and I didn't mind a good sci-fi so long as it felt a bit like a fantasy story.

Into the other small outside pocket went all the spending money I had left, I took that with me everywhere too, and all my jewelry. That's not as much as it sounds. I had about forty dollars and maybe two or three more in change and only about ten or twelve pieces of jewelry aside from the pendant I was currently wearing. I don't find a whole lot of what I like in that department. I mostly had large clunky pendants in the shapes of dragons and Chinese symbols and such, one pentagram, and one large silver cross. Sometimes I liked to wear those two together to watch people's reactions. I also had a few pairs of earrings and earcuffs and some bracelets.

Next into the bag went a battered journal and sketchbook. They were my heart and soul and were almost never out of my sight. I threw in a few other things that I thought might be useful, cards and a flashlight and stuff. There was just enough room left for a blanket folded on top of the clothes and such inside. I shut it tight, realizing that basically what was left in the room were school supplies and other things that didn't really matter. It was a little odd, but that's just how I am. I pack like this all the time. I was invited to a sleep over when I was little, the girl had invited the entire class, and I'd taken all my clothes and all the toys I'd owned then. When you don't really have much, everything you _do_ have becomes all the more precious to you. That was the only sleep over I've ever been invited to. I've gotten better about it over the years, but not by much. I suppose I'll stop when I move out of the orphanage and can be sure none of the younger children are going through my room while I'm gone.

Allison came for me about an hour later. We walked in silence after the first few minutes. That was mainly because I was ignoring her. It was only about a block to the community center, so we hadn't asked for a ride. We arrived in good time and were let into the building by a guy that looked to be in his mid-twenties, a supervisor I suppose. He eyed my pack curiously but shrugged as if to say it was none of his business. I shoved a lock of my dyed-black hair behind my ear, already regretting coming here.

"Allison," he said with a cheesy grin, "who's your lovely friend?" I suppose it was supposed to make me giggle or something, but it didn't work. He got a glare instead, from both of us, as much it surprised me.

"Don't bother her, Jacob. Her name's Jetsam."

"Jet." I corrected. "Or Sam. Not Jetsam."

"Okay Jet, I need to check you in. Could you follow me to my office for a moment?" I followed him and shrugged off my pack outside the door. Allison gave me a grin and a thumbs-up and walked off to where the party was. I could just barely hear the music and chatter. I didn't really care. I'd decided that I was ditching out first chance I got.

As soon as I shut the door, Jacob grabbed my arms and twisted them behind my back. I must admit this startled me. It wasn't the kind of behavior I would have expected from a smiley guy volunteering in a community organization. He shoved me forward and down so that I was kneeling with my head over a metal tub of sludge. There were things moving around in there, though I couldn't tell what. Then he made a mistake.

Jacob reached behind him for something, I didn't even care what, and I felt the slight shift in his balance. I quickly tucked my chin so my head was against the outside of the tub and kicked him. He lost his balance, and luckily also his grip on my arms, and fell forward. I rolled out of the way just as he crashed face down into the tub. He rolled over spluttering, soaking, and _really_ ticked, and came face to face with a knife.

He may have been _really_ ticked but I was _really, really_ ticked and it showed. I always carry a knife or two with me because I like them and they can come in handy downtown, but I've never actually used them on someone. If he didn't have really good answers to my questions then he'd be the first. I think he could sense that because he sat very still in the sludge and stared at my face with wide eyes.

"What was that all about?" I asked quietly, calmly, like the air before a lightning storm. He gulped a few times before answering, as if weighing his choices.

"It's an initiation for new members."

"Why didn't you ask if I wanted to join first, then? I want no part of the Sharing and only came to get Allison off my back." He decided that didn't need an answer and didn't give one. "What are those things swimming around in there? They look kind of like slugs or leeches, but they're bigger than any I've seen." He looked very worried and for a moment I thought he would refuse to answer my question in spite of the knife. Finally though, Jacob decided that whatever secret he was keeping wasn't worth his life.

"Yeerks."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeerks. Yeerks waiting for hosts."

"Hosts?" My eyes were cold and he was afraid of me. He was afraid I was going to kill him right then and there. So naturally he proceeded to spill everything about the Yeerk invasion that he knew. By the end he had almost forgotten I was there. He sounded proud to be a part of this, but by then I knew it wasn't Jacob but the parasite in his head. My face was no longer filled with anger, but with pity. Jacob might have been a nice guy if it weren't for the Yeerks and there he was trapped inside his body and unable to do anything about the countless people 'inducted' into the Sharing by the one inside of him.

"Stand up." He complied quickly enough, though that may have been because its difficult to be self-righteous when one is sitting in a tub of slime. "Lie face down on the floor." A bit of the fear from before flitted across his face before he did what I said. I stood over him for a while, unsure exactly what I was going to do. Then I bent near his ear with the knife against his throat. "Fight it Jacob. I know you can hear me. Don't give up." Hope shone in the eyes briefly before I hit him in the back of the head with the hilt of my knife and those eyes closed in unconsciousness. I ripped out the phone cord and an extension cord and tied his hands and feet. Then I took his keys, slipped out of his office, locked the door from the outside, slid the keys back under the door, shouldered my bag, and left.

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Author's Note: Read and Review. Please also read and review "Dust in the Wind" by Europa and "Heero's Heart" by Jiana. My muse is still hyperactive.


	3. Thoughts

Review Response: Well, lets see. I've gotten a total of five reviews. All of them have stated/implied that the story is good and that I should continue. Two said that it was well written. One wanted to know what happened. One was threatening. To that one: Jiana, Arien may be much meaner than Quinton but Quinton is most definitely stronger. _And_ Quinton will protect me from my evil alter-ego who delights in your torment and my distress. So there. Besides which, I've got a lot typed up. I just don't want to post it all at once. So :P
    
    Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs. Animorphs is cool. That's why I tried to write an Animorphs fanfic that didn't suck. It does anyway. All the ones I've read do. They're all Mary-Sue's and cheesy songfics or just poorly written! Animorphs is so great, so why can't there be any good Animorphs fanfics?! I own nothing in this story except Jet and the plot. Jet is a bit of a Mary Sue, but then if you often read Animorphs fanfiction then you're used to that.

Chapter 3

At first I headed back toward the orphanage. Then I realized that I couldn't go back. The Yeerks would know to look for me there. Allison was infested and she would know. It was a good thing I packed the way that I did.

Then a new thought occurred to me. _Erin_ was infested! The idea of my soul sister imprisoned within herself angered me, but I realized that for the moment there was absolutely nothing I could do. Frustrated, I turned in the opposite direction and headed to the bus depot. I bought the soonest and cheapest ticket I could and sat waiting.

I was jumpy. My hand fled to my once again hidden knife whenever I saw someone approach. But could I honestly be blamed for this? I had just been informed that aliens had invaded the earth, and that there was no way to recognize someone who was infested. No way at all. Was that man a controller? Was the woman by the newspaper stand staring at me for more reason than that I was a minor at a bus station by myself? What about the child wearing an old faded He-man tee shirt and holding his mother's hand? Even he could be.

When the bus finally pulled into the stop I know I looked a bit wild. That was fine by me. I sat in the back and most people avoided me. I sat there going who cared where so long as it was away. I rode all night, and after crossing the first state line I relaxed enough to sleep for a while. When I reached the end of the line two days later I climbed off wearily, still wary of the other people around. How wide spread was the invasion? I didn't know, but at least here they wouldn't know that I knew. I hoped that no one would bother to look for a missing orphan girl very hard. They _would_ look. I knew that. The Yeerks would look especially hard and if they found me I would either be made a controller or I would die. Death was the better option in my opinion.

In the early light I hiked through the mostly deserted streets in a daze. I needed somewhere safe to sleep. Finally I came to a barn. It looked like it was actually in use, but didn't smell bad or anything. It was pretty dark inside, so I couldn't really see what kind of animals were in there. It sounded like a lot of birds, and I heard some squeaking too. They didn't sound like your typical farm animals; but then again, I'd never been around animals besides pets. It looked safe enough though. I closed the door behind me and pulled out my flashlight. It was a bit dim, needed new batteries, but it was enough light that I didn't trip over anything. I shoved my bag up into a corner between two rafters. It would stay. Then I climbed up.

The rafters were wide enough that if I didn't move at all I wouldn't fall off. I lay face down with my cheek cushioned on my hands and my ankles crossed over the beam to help balance myself. I'd always wondered what it would be like to sleep in a tree, and I guess this would probably be as close as I was ever gonna get. I just hoped that I wouldn't fall and wouldn't be discovered. I was in a corner where it would be darker, and I was wearing black, but I didn't know how well lit the place would be in daylight. My body was tired enough that it didn't really care about the danger my mind knew I was in. I fell asleep quickly.

Author's Note: Yeah, sorry about the ranting in the disclaimer. I just hate that one of my OC's is turning into a Mary-Sue. If you've got a well written, non-singing, Sue-free Animorphs fic, review and let me know. I'd love to read it. I know I haven't updated this fic in forever, but I'll probably do that regularly for a while because this is the fic that Quinton wants to work on right now. Who's Quinton? Oh that's right, my Animorphs readers probably haven't met him yet. Reader, meet my muse. Quinton, meet my cool reader who is now going to go and click the little button that grants them the super-power of being able to review my story. ^_^


	4. Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs. I do own Jet. Deal with it.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
I woke to a beam of bright sunlight as the door slid back. Then there was a flood of electric lights. I was glad that my hair hung down over my face and hands to help hide my pale skin in the shadows. A girl about my age walked in. She was pretty enough, but not in a super model kind of way. Hers was a natural, earthy beauty. Her chocolate skin and dark hair and eyes glowed. She looked very happy, I noted with a tinge of bitterness. It was as if she hadn't a care in the world. She went and looked into each cage and stall, tending the animals there. I noticed they were all injured in some way. The largest animal was a deer that looked like it had a broken leg, and the smallest was a raccoon with an injured paw.  
  
"Hi Tobias." she said as a hawk swept in. "I think that guy on the end is about ready to leave. Where should I release him?" Talking to a hawk? Weird chick, but whatever. The bird she indicated did indeed look recovered. He shifted restlessly in his cage and I couldn't tell what had been wrong with it. The red tailed hawk settled on the rafter by my head, and I sincerely hoped it wouldn't decide to attack me or draw the girl's attention to me. I squeezed my eyes shut, lying absolutely still and concentrating on trying to be invisible. It didn't work. When I opened my eyes again she was staring right at me.   
  
"I know you're awake." she stated. "Who are you and why are you in my barn?" She had lost her carefree air and replaced it with one of caution and readiness. Her eyes looked tired and dangerous like a warrior's eyes might. She looked old, and I wondered what had happened to make her like that.   
  
"No one, and I was sleeping. Is that bird gonna attack me?" The hawk's unwavering gaze was starting to unnerve me. As soon as I spoke it fluttered over to a different beam as if it had understood me. I sat up so I could see better than I could lying down with my hair over my eyes. I didn't think she was going to hurt me, and if she was a controller she wasn't going to show any signs of it. I jumped down and pulled my bag after me.   
  
"Please don't tell anyone I've been here. I'll leave now."   
  
"Wait. My name's Cassie. Do you want some breakfast?" I paused, wondering if this could be a trick. She seemed genuine and I was very hungry since I hadn't really eaten since lunch yesterday. Or had it been the day before? A lot had happened between then and now.   
  
"Your parents won't mind?" She shrugged as if to say she didn't know. I nodded. "My name's Jet."   
  
"Jet?" Cassie raised an eyebrow questioningly.   
  
"Short for Jetsam." She shrugged and led me into the house. It was a nice place, clean and functional and well lit. I set my bag by the back door and we walked into a kitchen where a pair of adults stood making pancakes. They were obviously her parents, and seemed just as cheerful and lighthearted as Cassie had appeared at first.   
  
"Mom, I found someone sleeping out in the barn and invited her in for breakfast." The woman looked surprised, but took it all in stride.   
  
"What's your name, child?" The way she talked made me want to trust her. She said it in a concerned, motherly tone. I suppose I rather looked the part of the little lost child, despite my age.   
  
"Sam." I told her quietly. Grown-ups like that name better than Jet. Jet sounds too much like a name a gang member would have or something, and I didn't want this woman to get the wrong idea about me.   
  
"Well Sam, you've got about half an hour before we're all ready if you want to get cleaned up."   
  
"Thank you, ma'am." I retrieved my bag and Cassie showed be where the bathroom was. I showered quickly and changed. Now instead of wearing all black I wore flared blue jeans, a white mock-turtleneck tank top, and a short denim jacket. I figured if I ran low on clean clothes I could stop by a laundromat. I plaited a braid on either side of my head, joining them together in the back so that only one braid hung down over my hair. I wore a round pendant engraved with the Chinese symbol for hope.   
  
It seemed appropriate at the moment. I had enough cash to last me a while; I was getting a good breakfast where I hadn't expected any. Despite the events of last few days my outlook on life was sunny just then. I returned my bag to its spot by the back door and went back to the kitchen. I sat down next to Cassie and answered her parents' questions as truthfully as I could.   
  
"So where do you live?"   
  
"No where just now. I just came in from out of state."   
  
"Won't your folks be worried about you?"   
  
"Don't have any."   
  
"Oh. Is there anyone who's going to be looking for you?"   
  
"Nope." I answered nonchalantly. That was a blatant lie. I knew the Yeerks would be looking for me, but that wasn't something I was going to just bring up in a conversation.   
  
"We should take you down to child services after breakfast." I thought about that one for a moment. Why not? It would get me somewhere to stay and it wasn't like they could make me tell them anything I didn't want to… like where I was from and why I wouldn't go back there. I shrugged.   
  
"Okay."   
  
"You like blueberry or maple syrup?"   
  
"Blueberry, please." 

* * *

AN: Wow! I've got almost ten reviews. Who's gonna be the lucky tenth reviewer? Well, now I'm going to individually reply to my nine reviews. Why? Because I can and I feel like it tonight.   
  
Chapter 1  
  
Zaron of the Red Moon: First off, cool name. No clue what it's in reference to, but cool nonetheless. I read early too. It's currently 12:39 AM. I'm glad you can see my talent, thank you very much. I'm still mad at Quinton for making my write this.   
  
Chapter 2  
  
Zaron of the Red Moon: Yes, sleep is good, and thanks again.   
  
Wyntre de Romanov: Yet another cool penname. It looks vaguely Russian to me, except that whenever you stick 'de' in the middle of a name/sentence/phrase it automatically looks Spanish to me. Glad you like it and I guess since you're reading this then your wish has been granted.   
  
Keiko: Okay.   
  
Jiana: Okay, okay! So I'm posting already! Quinton wouldn't let Arien hurt me. Besides which, Arien isn't capable of seriously injuring me anyway. Quinton said so. =P  
  
Chapter 3  
  
BOB23: Well, normally in response to a statement such as that I would shout out "IT'S BOB'S BARN!!!" or something similar. However, since your penname is Bob, that would seem a bit odd. But it hardly matters, because anyone who's read Animorphs books even in passing knows the answer.   
  
Jiana: Yeah, well =P to you too.   
  
Jade: Thanks for the encouragement. I'd really rather not continue, but my muse is gonna make me.   
  
Pheona: Yes! I'm interesting and better than average! This is my goal in life. Sorry for the sarcasm. It's very late. Thank you for your review and I'm glad you like it. 


	5. Annoyances and Safety

AN: I will now pout. I don't like this story. It's one of the few getting regular reviews. Therefore, I will now post more. I will now become apparent in this chapter that I know little to none about child services and 'the system.' I hate that. Nothing can pull you out of a story faster than someone who obviously has no clue what they're talking about. That's one reason why we often don't like Mary Sues.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs. Jet is my own creation.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
The ride to the local child services office was fairly peaceful. I watched the houses and people out the window. I could have landed somewhere a lot worse. It looked like a nice neighborhood, and quiet too. Maybe the Yeerks weren't here yet? It would have broken my heart to learn that any of Cassie's picturesque family was controllers. They showed such a strong, quiet love for each other, and they had a connection to the earth that was hard to find in larger cities. Both parents were vets and Cassie helped in their wildlife rehabilitation center, the barn. They seemed to really appreciate the beauty of the world around them.  
My good mood wasn't destined to last for long. Cassie's parents and I were ushered into an office with a small blonde lady. She wore a dress suit that was seriously outdated and a horrid shade of pinkish-cream. It seemed to suit her pinched face and long-suffering attitude though. She sat behind a desk and donned a pair of wire framed glasses that did nothing for her watery blue eyes. Then bending over her paperwork she asked, "Name?"  
"Jetsam." She looked up at me without writing anything, then back down at her paper.  
"Name?" "Jetsam." I repeated with a sigh. "That's not your name." "It's the only name I've ever been given." With a despairing sigh she wrote my name in a scratchy hand. "Birth date?" "Don't know." "You don't know?" "No one does. Except maybe my parents, but they decided not to tell me that when they abandoned me." Cassie's parents were sitting on either side of me, as if to protect me. I could tell I was making them uncomfortable, but I was really mad at this woman for questioning everything I said. The entire interview went that way. She said in the end that it would be a day or two before they could find a place for me and did I have anywhere to stay until then because their facilities were crowded at the moment. Cassie's mother immediately spoke up, saying I could stay with them. I smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you." I whispered to her as we left. "Its all right honey. Its no trouble at all." We drove back and I wondered briefly if I was safe now. Probably not, but it sure felt like it. 


End file.
